Join us for an talk with Sairish Hussain as she discusses her novel ‘Hidden Fires’.

From the Costa Prize-shortlisted author of The Family Tree and Women’s Prize x Good Housekeeping Futures Finalist, Hidden Fires is a powerful story of grief and loss, the power of family and the long arm of history.

Books with be available to purchase at this event and there will be an opportunity to get them signed and ask the author questions.

Tickets are free but booking required

About the Book

Ramadan, 2017. Yusuf wakes in the middle of the night to pray. His routine is always the same, but something tells him that tonight is different. Yellow flames blur Yusuf’s vision, and the laughter of a small child echoes in his ears. But this time, the red, smoke-filled skies aren’t just in his memory.

Miles away, Rubi is also awake. On the television, she watches reports of a devastating fire in London. She is already anxious when her parents send her to stay with her Grandpa Yusuf, whose conservative house rules are almost as unbearable as the loneliness she feels at home. Yusuf’s lifestyle does not gel with Rubi’s. But when she finds him scared and confused one night, it becomes clear that there’s more to her grandfather than Rubi ever considered.

As Yusuf grapples with the past, Rubi is determined to save him. But the memories that are recovered and spoken of for the first time in years are more painful than she could have imagined.

About the Author
Sairish Hussain is a Bradford based author. Her debut novel, The Family Tree (2020), was published by HarperCollins and shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, the Portico Prize and The Diverse Book Awards. It was also longlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award and winner of Calibre Audio’s ‘Hidden Gem’ Prize. Her second novel, Hidden Fires, was published in 2024.

Supported by Northern Bookshelf – New Writing North and Arts Council